That’s What Friends Are For
by KoraSonata
Summary: Kara is an actress who is auditioning for the part of a gay woman. Only, she’s never kissed a girl before. When she has to kiss another woman as part of the audition, she is unsure of what to do, and the kiss ends up being stiff and tense. She is told if she wants the part, she will have to perfect the kiss. Desperate, she turns to her friends in an attempt to get a partner so she


"Ugh, I can't beLIEVE they said I was a bad kisser!" Kara storms into her apartment; arms waving wildly, as she stalks through the front door. "I mean, me. A bad kisser. That's like..." the door slams behind her. "Mother Theresa - Bad Mother."

There's a snicker from the living room, followed by six pairs of eyes turning to blink owlishly up at her; each with varying degrees of oblivious confusion. Alex is the first to respond.

"Well _hey_ , Kara, how'd your audition go?" She says sarcastically from her spot on the couch; positioning sideways so as to comfortably drape her legs across her girlfriends lap. Sam has an arm hooked casually around her sisters waist; looking just as confused as the rest of them.

"Ugh, _don't_ even get me started." Kara huffs, throwing the cardigan she had previously been holding roughly against the kitchen island; the forsaken object coming to rest in a haphazard heap of blue cotton against the counter.

"Well, I mean, it _kind_ of sounds like you're already started, _so_..." James prods expectantly; sitting on the opposite end of the couch with Lucy nestled comfortably between his legs on the floor. Kara groans again, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"Ugh, I just don't under _stand_!"

"Neither do **_we_**..." Winn supplies sarcastically, currently occupying Kara's new black leather lay-z-boy chair; which he had since insisted on claiming as his own whenever he made an appearance at her apartment. However, he appeared relatively uninterested in her response regardless; his attention already diverted back to a large tablet sized screen in his hands.

"Yeah, Kara. I know you're an actor, but enough with the theatrics." Alex shifts her upper body to more accurately face her sister; both hands gripping the back of the couch. "You know you wanna tell us, so get your butt over here and spill."

Kara grumbles, coming to sit upon the only vacant living room chair; her body dropping limply and coming to rest against the white cushions with a plop. "You guys never let me have any fun..."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Yeah yeah. You can be dramatic later." She shifts again, finally removing her legs from where they had previously lain atop Sam's lap, and instead tucking her feet under herself comfortably. "Now spill."

Kara scowls for only a moment more, before a large smile breaks out across her face. "Alright, I'll tell you." She says happily; shifting to sit cross-legged on the chair with a small bounce. Alex rolls her eyes.

"Ok, so here's what happened." Kara starts, sitting up straighter in her typical story-mode fashion; which she used whenever she had anything she deemed vaguely interesting to tell. "The audition actually started out really well. I met the director this time, and you will _never_ believe who it was!"

"Who?" Sam piped up, her interest having been peeked. Kara smiled widely.

"I'll give you one hint." She pauses dramatically for affect, before her smile grows even wider. "Warren Beatty!"

A chorus of:

"Really?"

"No way!"

"That's so cool!"

Erupts from the living room. Lucy frowns.

"Um...Who's Warren Beatty?"

" ** _WHO'S WARREN BEATTY_?!**" Winn exclaims loudly, finally directing his attention to the conversation at hand; his sudden outburst startling the other occupants of the room. "He's only one of the GREATEST filmmakers of all _time_!!" He practically shouts, standing on his chair and reaching into his pocket to extract a small, handheld remote in preparation for his dramatic speech.

A large drop-screen descends from the ceiling; complete with graphs and flow charts, and accompanied by the sound of royal trumpets on its descent. Kara blinks.

"...When did he install a projector in my living room..?"

Winn gestures to the screen with the hand holding the remote, while the other is placed over his heart as if about to recite the pledge of allegiance. "He has 53 Academy nominations, he's won 6 Golden Globes, been nominated for 14 Academy Awards, and he is one of only _two_ people to have _ever_ been nominated for acting in, directing, and producing the _same film_!" He says passionately, as if with practiced ease.

Lucy rolls her eyes. "Fangirl much..." she mutters under her breath, causing a stifled laugh from Lena; the only other occupant of the room, who sat cross-legged on the floor with her back pressed up against the last living room chair; currently piled high with coats and bags and other personal belongings.

"ANYway-" Kara glared at Winn from across the room; having stolen her spotlight. Winn sat back down with a huff; crossing his arms and grumbling to himself, as the screen collapses into the ceiling once again. "Everything went pretty well, but there's this one thing that might be a bit of a problem..." Kara continued.

"What?" Several people ask in tandem. Kara scratches the back of her head nervously.

"Well, you see, I may have, kinda, sorta, had to...kiss this girl."

Six pairs of eyes blinked in tandem.

"Cause she was just so darn cute?" Alex teases sarcastically. Kara rolls her eyes.

"Not like _that_." She throws a pillow half heartedly at her sister, the agent smirking as her arms quickly fly to cover her face; shielding her against the flying object in question, the cushion bouncing harmlessly off of her outstretched hands. "It was part of the audition. See, I'm up for the part of this girl that the main girl kisses." She explains. Several heads nod in understanding.

"Well hey, you're an actor. I say you just suck it up and you do it." Winn chimes in again with an indifferent wave of his hand. Sam and Alex glare in his direction. "I mean..." he gulps. "Or you just do it." He says nervously, now pointedly looking at anything else in the room that wasn't Alex; who looked as if she was seriously considering getting up and giving him a good smack upside the head. Winn had suddenly become very interested in examining the contents of the bookshelf across the room.

"I _did_ do it. I'm a professional."

"Then what's the problem?" Lucy questions, not seeing the issue.

"See, at the end of the scene, Mr. Beatty comes up to me and says 'Good actor. Bad kisser.' Can you believe that?" Kara explains, sounding genuinely offended by the notion. "Anyway, my agent says this kiss thing is definitely going to be a problem. They wanna see it again on Monday..." She sighs dejectedly. "I just can't believe it...I gotta figure out what I'm doing wrong..." She trails off.

"Well, you could always talk to Mr. Walking Wikipedia over here about what kind of things Mr. Beatty is looking for." Lucy suggests, jabbing a finger in Winn's direction; who immediately perks up at the idea of getting to talk more about his Idol. "He seems fairly knowledgeable on your director."

Kara winces, not wanting to have to sit through what she's sure would be an entire PowerPoint presentation, which she's almost 98% certain he would have. Winn looks at her hopefully. "Sorry Winn, I think I'm looking for something a bit more related to my own skill set. I don't think knowing any more about him is going to help my case."

Winn sulks, sinking back into his chair with a pout. Which is when Kara suddenly lights up like she had just been struck with the most wonderful idea. "Oh! I've got it!"

"That's debatable..." Alex mutters under her breath.

"No, no, I'm serious! I just got the perfect idea!" She squeals in excitement. "One of you guys come over here and kiss me."

 ** _SILENCE..._**

"What?"

"No."

"Forget it."

Comes the chorus from the living room. Kara pouts.

"Awe come on! If I want this part, I'm going to have to practice! I really need your help here!" She whines.

"Alright. I'll do it." James states, standing from his spot. Several eyes turn to look at him as he extracts himself from the couch, as if in silent awe of their fallen friends noble sacrifice. He simply smirks, offering a small shrug. "I've kissed her before. I can do it again."

Kara rolls her eyes. "Very funny." She says, already standing from her chair and walking to meet him halfway. "You see this?" She says, gesturing to James with a pointed finger. "This is a friend."

James chuckles. "Alright, you ready?" He says.

Kara cracks her neck; jogging on the spot and shaking out her hands, as if in preparation for a boxing match. "Ready."

And he kisses her. Just for a moment. Brief, but firm. Thorough. And then they're pulling apart once again.

Kara looks at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Good." James declares. "Very good. Firm, but tender." He shrugs. "I'd recommend you to a friend."

"Yes!" Kara pumps a fist in the air, looking thoroughly proud of herself. "But then what am I doing wrong?"

"Well, you know Kara, maybe kissing James isn't exactly the best option." Sam comments, lacing her hand through Alex's. "I mean, it's a lesbian scene, right? Have you ever kissed a girl before?"

Kara scoffs. "Well _duh_. I kissed the girl for the audition, remember?"

"And look how well _that_ turned out..." Alex mutters under her breath. Kara sticks out her tongue at her.

"Well, I mean, Alex _does_ have a point there." She says, though raising an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "Have you kissed _other_ girls besides her?" Sam continues.

Kara twiddles her fingers nervously. "Well...um...no, not exactly..."

"See? Maybe you're just not used to kissing women?" She suggests helpfully. "Maybe you just tensed up a little bit. Maybe that's what you need to work on."

"Hmm, maybe you're right..." She stops; mulling it over, before her eyes flicker to the couch; her gaze coming to rest on Sam with a smirk.

A beat. Sam blinks.

"Not gonna happen."

"Over my dead body."

Sam and Alex reply in tandem, with Alex securely wrapping her arms protectively around her girlfriend; draping her legs across her lap once again.

Her gaze flicks to Lucy, giving a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

Lucy scoffs, raising her mug to her lips, and taking another sip of her tea. "Yeah, I'll be using her dead body as a shield."

Kara pouts. "Awe come on guys! I really want this part! What kind of friends are you."

"Should I feel insulted that nobody's asked me?" Lena suddenly pipes up from across the room. It had been the first thing she'd said during the whole conversation.

Kara smiles so wide it's a wonder it doesn't crack her face. She quickly makes her way across the room, sinking to the floor so as to properly grasp Lena's hand in her own; practically bouncing with excitement.

"Would you really? Please? I'll let you eat my potstickers for a week!" She begs. Lena blinks.

"Wow. Potstickers for a whole week? This is serious." She says, cracking a smile.

"Yes! I **_really_** want this part! _Please_ Lee??" Kara pleads; flashing the Luthor the best trademark Puppy Danvers eyes she can muster.

Lena smirks; holding up a single finger as she drains the remainder of her wine in a single go. "Alright, here's what you gotta do." She says, setting the wine glass down with a clink; sitting up straighter so as to properly coach the young actress. Kara squeals, clapping her hands excitedly. A chorus of cat calls and cheers erupts from the living room.

Lena smiles, shifting so the both of them are sitting cross-legged with their toes touching. "Alright. Lesson number one. You need to get comfortable with the idea of kissing a woman, and so I am going to teach you the fine art of seduction." She smirks. "When I'm done with you, there will be no more of this-" She makes a vague sort of gesture to Kara as a whole, "-awkward stiffness."

Kara nods seriously, taking every word to heart. Everyone else watched closely out of mild curiosity.

"Alright. So a woman's power is not in her beauty or her smile. But in her mind." Lena begins. Kara watches her intently, looking as if she was keeping thorough mental notes in her mind. "The best application of yours will be in capturing the 5 senses." She continues, pausing to make sure Kara understood what she was saying. The actress just watched her intently, waiting eagerly for her to continue. Lena smirks.

"Touch." She reaches forward, gently taking Kara's left hand in her own; delicately flipping her hand so that her palm is facing upwards. "Your fingertips across her arm. Her chest. Her cheek." She lightly trails her fingertips down the length of Kara's pointer finger; tickling the delicate skin at the base of her thumb. Kara takes a sharp intake of breath. Lena only smiles.

"Scent." Lena's other hand comes to cup the bottom of Kara's. "Memories of summer. Reminding her of the warm sun on her naked skin." Kara blushes, finding it harder and harder to focus on her words when her fingers were doing _that_.

"Sound." Her fingertips begin to trace small circular patterns against the palm of her hand. "Your laugh. Light and gentle." Her hand trails lightly up her wrist. "Like a crystal bell."

 _Her voice sounds like velvet..._

"Sight." Her eyes roam slowly over her toned body, before eventually coming to gaze deeply into her own. "A look. That lingers." She allows her eyes to flicker toward her lips, and then back again. "And promises so, much more." Kara breathes.

"And finally," she whispers, leaning in until their lips are almost touching, but not quite. Kara's heart skips a beat. " _Taste_." Their lips brush lightly, but it's not enough. Kara wants _more_.

Reaching an arm upwards, she cups Lena's cheek with her right hand, deepening their kiss. Lena pushes closer in response; connecting their lips more firmly.

And it feels like she could fly. Her senses feel wild; overloaded. Like they aren't sure what to focus on. The smoothness of Lena's skin. The softness of her lips. The scent of her flowery shampoo. Or the subtle taste of wine still on her tongue.

She wants it all. Her other hand reaches upwards, slipping into the dark strands of her hair, in an attempt to get closer still. Her hair feels light and cool. Soft; like silk. She thought she could spend all day running her fingers through it.

And that's when Lena pulls away.

And Kara almost lets out a legitimate _whine_ ; chasing after her lips as the other woman pulls away. Lena laughs lightly.

"Well, _that_ certainly seems to be an improvement from 5 minutes ago." Lena smirks, followed by a chorus of whistles and cheers from somewhere in the vague vicinity.

Kara blinks, trying; but ultimately failing, to get her breathing back under control. She brings two fingers up to touch her lips distractedly; face flushed and heart rapid. Somewhere from in behind her, she thinks she can hear Alex laughing.

"Ha! I think you broke my sister! Look at her! She's a gay mess!" Alex laughs harder, her body collapsing in on itself in her fit of laughter. "Ha! Welcome to the club baby sis!"

Just then, Lena's phone chimes from where it had sat atop the coffee table. She reaches forward to check her messages.

"Well, that's Jess. Looks like I've got to go into the office." She stands, collecting her coat from the chair. "I trust you have everything you need for your audition?" She asks, already striding across the room. That seemed to snap Kara out of her thoughts.

"Lena, wait!" She calls. Lena stops in the doorway, turning to look at her again in mild amusement.

"Yes?"

Kara blushes. "You said that was lesson number one." She states, looking thoroughly whipped. "...what's lesson two?"

Lena smiles widely, throwing her a lopsided smirk. "Well, you'll just have to find out next time, won't you?" She says with a wink, blowing her a kiss, and offering a final smirk. "What are friends for?"


End file.
